Wikipedia. While to some it may be the academic equivalent of persistently unwrapping sweets during a performance, things are fast changing, and for the better. With an estimated 19 millionactive users worldwide, Wikipedia is the world’s most popular encyclopaedia. Not only does contributing to the site create a richer bank of information for everyone to share, for editors (affectionately dubbed ‘Wikipedians’) it’s also a way of strengthening writing skills and sharing passions. All the while a dedicated team of volunteer editors proof-read and fact-check.

It was with this in mind that the Royal Opera House recently hosted the first-ever ballet editathon. Along with my fellow Royal Opera House Student AmbassadorDavid Wilson, I joined other ballet enthusiasts and Wikipedia editors to collaborate on articles about one of ballet’s greatest choreographers: Frederick Ashton.

We met in the opulent Crush Room and the morning discussions, led by those who had known him well, provided a fascinating insight into Ashton’s life and work. Chairman of the Ashton Foundation Tony Dyson and its Executive Director Christopher Nourse highlighted the importance of extending choreographic research so that modern-day casts are provided with the maximum amount of information on a ballet and can retain its original spirit.

Following a short film containing moments from some of Ashton’s ballets, we were invited to view a selection of items from the Royal Opera House archives. In existence for over 40 years, the Collection houses over 6,000 costumes, thousands of programmes, and around 1 million photographs.

We divided up into small groups, each working on a different ballet. My co-editor Edward – an experienced Wikipedian – guided me through the editing process. We decided to tackle the article about Ashton’s La fille mal gardée, primarily using albums of press-cuttings for reference. I found that with the simple click of a button we were able to add further detail to the Wikipedia page, from details of original cast members quitting to accidental on-stage injuries. In a 2005 review from the Daily Mail, we learned that during one performance of La fille, Marianela Núñez inadvertently struck Carlos Acosta above the eye with her elbow, causing blood to stain her white dress:

“It simply looked as if there were a few more red petals [on her gown] than there had been before.”

After lunch, we came together to share our findings with the rest of the group: collectively, we had created six new pages and significantly expanded six more, from Frederick Ashton’s Wikipedia entry to the ballet A Month in the Country. The pages we enhanced have continued to grow since the event, and this sense of a shared project is what I found most special about the experience. Not only did we improve online reference material relating to Ashton, we were also inviting others to take part. I hope that our day spent working on articles about Ashton and his works has provided a richer perspective on a well-loved choreographer.

‘Never in my life would I have thought that I would end up as a professional opera singer,’ says Jette Parker Young Artist Hanna Hipp. However, the mezzo-soprano, now in her final months of the Young Artists Programme, has performed numerous roles on the Covent Garden Main Stage over the past two years. She has sung alongside some of the world’s greatest opera stars and is already booked to perform at the Turku Festival in Finland, and with Scottish Opera and Glyndebourne.

‘I realized that could sing when I was about eight and I always got solos in the children’s choir,’ she explains. ‘The rehearsals on a Saturday morning were obligatory, but for me they were a real treat as singing gave me such pleasure.’

Hanna began to focus on singing professionally when she was 17, studying at the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she graduated from the Opera Course with distinction. ‘The course at GSMD was spontaneous – fate sort of led me there,’ she explains, ‘but it was where it all started and it’s been a fun journey. It was an inspiring and mind-blowing experience to be part of.’

Hanna joined the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme in 2011, making her Main Stage debut in the Plácido Domingo Celebration as Emilia in Verdi’s Otello. ‘Debuting in the gala was a great challenge and opportunity,’ she says. ‘It was amazing to be on stage with Domingo, the biggest star, but it was also the first reality-check. In a gala, you have to be able to perform a character in just one scene rather than a full opera. I remember thinking: ‘If I can do this, I will probably be ok for the next two years’.’

‘I absolutely adored Les Troyens,’ she says. ‘To step into a new production as a young singer and prove you are worthy is challenging, but I had wonderful support from the team, including David McVicar and Tony Pappano. It was a real treat for me.

‘Similarly, the whole process of cover roles was invaluable. To learn the role so that it is always under your belt is an investment that pays off.’

Hanna will shortly be performing the role of Bianca in Puccini’s La rondine, which opens on 5 July. Nicolas Joël’s production is set in the decadent glamour of 1920s France and Hanna will sing in an ensemble alongside fellow Jette Parker Young Artists Justina Gringyte and Dušica Bijelić.

‘It’s really surprising that La rondine is not staged more often,’ she says. ‘It has beautiful colours and wonderful orchestration. There is a lightness that just carries you away. I always enjoy ensemble roles as you have to be a team player and very precise in the musical aspects. It’s also something of a farewell as there are quite a few Young Artists on stage at the same time.’

In addition to performances on the Main Stage, Hanna has received training in all aspects of opera, ranging from stagecraft and body movement workshops to vocal instruction and language tuition. However, classes aside, she emphasizes that the biggest benefit of the programme has been learning how to manage the workload as a professional opera singer.

‘Beyond the classes, the Programme teaches you how quickly you have to prepare roles,’ she explains. ‘Now, I’m aware of what might be expected of me when I show up to a production: you need to be on the ball from day one and arrive with a concept of the role already in your head.’